Rupert Holmes to Write Book for Rat Pack Musical Robin and the 7 Hoods

Tony winner Rupert Holmes has signed on as book writer of Robin and the 7 Hoods, a new musical adaptation of the 1964 movie that starred Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Holmes replaces previously announced book writer Peter Ackerman on the show, which is aiming for a pre-Broadway West Coast tryout in the summer of 2010, directed by Casey Nicholaw.

The film transported the Robin Hood legend to Chicago during Prohibition, with Sinatra as Robbo, a racketeer modeled on Robin Hood, and Martin as his sidekick Little John. The proposed musical, set in Chicago at the time the movie was filmed, will be built around standards by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen, including “My Kind of Town,” “Come Fly With Me,” “All the Way” and “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head.” An earlier statement by producer Bruce Charet had described the musical as capturing “a fascinating little moment in history when the old culture met the sexual revolution...this very attractive, sexy period when all people were interested in doing was getting laid and drinking martinis.”

Holmes, who won Tonys for the book and score of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, was most recently represented on Broadway with Curtains. He wrote the book for The First Wives Club, currently playing at the Old Globe in San Diego, and is working with Marvin Hamlisch on a musical adaptation of The Nutty Professor to be directed by Jerry Lewis, also aiming for the 2010-2011 season.

In addition to Charet, lead producers on Robin and the 7 Hoods include Dennis Mastro, Billy Campbell and Dennis Farina, with Barry Brown as executive producer. John McDaniel will be musical supervisor, Gregg Barnes will design costumes, and Natasha Katz is the lighting designer.